You want your child to learn to read well. Your child wants to learn. Yet for some reason, he can't. He practices and practices his short vowel sounds, yet still after weeks and many many trials, he still doesn't know.

 

The first thing to actually do is to find out just what your child does or doesn't know. Start by asking what sound each vowel (a e i o and u) makes. Here is what you should hear:

A as in ant

E as in Ed

I as in in

O as in on

U as in up

 

If he doesn't know these off the top of his head, he has not yet learned them. Next we have to find out why not.

 

You say, what are the sounds in the word "sit", and your child should say, "ssss"  "iiiii" "t". I have screened children when the vowel sound definitely is not "iiii", it is more like "oo". The child guesses and guesses wrong. You can practice several different words that have short vowel sounds in them so that you know for sure this is the problem. Be sure that you do not act surprised or criticize the child, making them feel badly. You are only gathering information.

 

If this is the problem, the child may have an auditory processing problem. You can verify this by having an evaluation completed by an audiologist who can test for Auditory Processing Disorder. The child must be at least 7 years old. To find an audiologist near you who can do this testing, go to http://www.asha.org/public/Help-Finding-a-Professional/

 

Let's assume that your child never developed the ability to process sounds well, and that it is not caused by actual hearing loss. When this is the case, we need to look at development of the auditory system in the first year of life. If he displays some of the following other symptoms as well, then the auditory system probably did not get fully developed during stages of development, called primitive reflexes.

 

Moro Reflex, birth to 4 months

Spinal Galant, birth to 9 months

Your child does not have to have all of the symptoms to show that the difficulty is due to these stages, only some. If you have found that yes, this applies to my child, then the appropriate first intervention is to replicate these stages by doing some simple physical exercises for 30 to 90 days. Maintaining Brains Everyday DVD is inexpensive and has helped thousands with setting up the brain for auditory abilities. It's included with Dyslexia: Recognizing, Screening and Treatment, or you can purchase it alone.

Now that your child's brain is set up, we may want to stimulate it further to get the best results possible. This step can be done along with Maintaining Brains, or after. In my experience, if listening therapy  is done without Maintaining Brains or a similar therapy, it has not continued to work after 6 months.

 

There are many listening therapies available at all different prices. It is always best to work with a professional who is trained and can give your child an individualized protocol and appropriate support. Some therapies that are available through professionals include Tomatis, Interactive Listening Systems, and Therapeutic Listening. However, if these are not available or if that option is too expensive, consider on-line versions, like The Listening Program or Ease.

 

Finally, now that the child can process sounds, it is time to directly teach phonemic awareness. Take a look at the last newsletter to see how.

 

This step is SO important for improving the ability to read. If you know of someone who has a child who can't remember the vowel sounds, or who mispronounces words frequently, please send them this newsletter. I appreciate it, and so will they!

 

Next week we will look at what to do when there are reading problems, but it's not Dyslexia, and it's not an auditory issue.